Way back in "what Frank is listening to #49" in relation to Johansen's "In Style" album from 1979 I said this:
I suppose no musical biography of Johansen is necessary but I will copy this from allmusic.com as a chameleon like quality applies to this LP:
Best known for his tenure fronting the hugely influential New York Dolls, David Johansen was a true chameleon; throughout the course of a career which saw him transform from a lipstick-smeared proto-punk hero into an urbane blue-eyed soul man and finally into a tuxedo-clad lounge lizard, he remained a rock & roll original, an unpredictable iconoclast and a true cultural innovator.
I was particularly interested in this as I have Johansen's first solo LP and even some of the Buster Poindexter albums which are patchy … "In Style" was Johansen's second album and grab for some mainstream success which unfortunately eluded him.
This album was Johansen's last try for the "big time", under his own name. The sound is big, loud and clean and the rock is "hard", occasionally "new wave", and mostly conventional. He comes across as a New York variation on Springsteen at his most bombastic or perhaps Bob Seger at his most urban or even "Quiet Riot" at their most serious. But, and this is a big "but", this is David Johansen and I suspect the guy is not normal. This much is clear, he cant help himself. The album like a lot of Johansen's solo work is schizophrenic though here the battle is between "going for the $" and Johansen's clearly twisted personality. If this is him selling out and he thinks this album is "mainstream" then he is a nut job.
Johansen the "nut job" is the albums redeeming feature and indeed that's why Johansen is so great. Much like Kim Fowley on the west-coast Johansen plundered the rock of his youth and recast it in his own vision.
So, does Johansen fail here?
Yes.
But, any individual vision regardless of successful outcome must be more valuable than proficiency and success with the safety net of mediocrity.
There are enough quirky moments amongst the lure of riches to make this a mildly likeable album.
His sideman and co-writer here is South Africa-born guitarist/ multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Blondie Chaplin who has been a sideman for The Beach Boys, The Band and The Rolling Stones.
Best Tracks
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Bohemian Love Pad – Johansen, Sylvain – an ode to Beatnik ways done to an updated Ronettes type sound.
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My Obsession – Chaplin, Johansen – Johansen's idea of a love song.
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Marquesa de Sade – Blain, Johansen – Latin samba meets French decadence. Weird.
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Suspicion – Chaplin, Johansen – any song that name checks "Vincent Price" cant be all bad.
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Heart of Gold – Johansen – a raggedy big ballad.
And …
A keeper … because I have some of his other albums … and it's not far from here to Johansen's Buster Poindexter persona.
Chart Action
This bid for riches stalled at number #160 on the US charts.
Sounds
My Obsession
attached
Heart of Gold
attached
and just in case you have forgotten ….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctg5FCS1wCM
Review
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:g9frxq95ld0e
Bio
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kifqxqe5ldse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Johansen
(originally posted: 16/12/2009)
